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Introduction - BC Puppy Coming on Saturday


Win
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A bit about me and why my wife and I are getting a BC.

 

We moved to SW Utah a few years ago and semi- adopted the neighborhood BC. The dogs owner had trained the dog to stay within a certain boundary and our home was in the middle. She slept here during down time, came for an evening walk and snack. We lost her at 6 years old to kidney disease, poisoning of some kind. Most likely anti-freeze.

 

We decided that since I work from home and my wife spends a good deal of her time outside that we will get a BC puppy. I think we've found a good breeder, they have a well socialized group of dogs including heelers, BCs and a Vizsla. The puppies all seemed happy and a choice was made for a female, soley based on her "appeal". They were all awesome! Koko (Kokopelli) will be coming home on Saturday, we're excited.

 

Our dog will not be a herder but we can give her a lot of exercise and we hike and explore every weekend. I've been diligently reading the forum and my wife is deep in a book or two on puppies. I've raised an Afghan and several other dogs so I'm confident we'll do fine. But, I'm sure glad you all are here for us!

 

I do have one question and it's an important one. Are two BCs 10 times more work than one? We're considering taking a brother for Koko but I'm not sure it's a good idea. Your thoughts?

 

Win

 

Koko, last weekend when we first met:

 

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How old are those puppies? Their eyes are still blue.

 

Does your breeder produce all those breeds of dogs?! Cute puppy, different sorts of colours available, I guess. Your breeder specializes in neat colours?

 

There is lots of information on the boards re: adopting sibling puppies or raising two puppies at once. You might try the search function, since the information already exists. The general consenus is that it's best to get just the one pup and wait some time before adding a second. One is a lot easier than two.

 

Good luck.

 

RDM

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Ok, the puppies are now 6 weeks old. I asked my vet if that was too young and I was told "No, it's pretty common these days." The breeder has three litters of puppies a year this was the first for this female. They come from a 135 acre Quarter Horse ranch and the dogs are free run every day. There "pen" is 1/4 acre and the dogs were all friendly and none showed any sign of neglect or mishandling. The puppies are kept inside at night with the bitch and crate trained. During the day the pups are with the adults and socialized. The coloring is interesting since they're not bred for color. The male is black and white the female red. The coloring is by no means symmetrical. It certainly wasn't a puppy mill, just a couple that likes dogs.

 

The youngest heeler was a rescue and the Vizsla was a trade for Quarter Horse training.

 

One of the females had been spoken for a by an experienced "agility" handler. She thought them all to be good pups and had a criteria that led her to one in particular.

 

I had looked into rescue but could not find a suitable dog. I really didn't want one one that came with a lot of problems, most were 3 plus years old.

 

I think your advice on one pup is well founded. We'll most likely go that way.

 

Thanks,

Win

 

PS The father is a blue eyed!

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I agree with RDM about the two pups at once. While it does work out great for some, I wouldn't recommend in it since this is your first border collie.

 

Your pup is adorable! Good luck and I hope you have tons of fun with her :rolleyes:

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Six weeks is kinda pushing it, IMO - There's a lot of dog-to-dog socialization that's going on right now, including learning things like bite inhibition. Many breeders these days are going as long as 12 weeks before sending their pups home.

 

But she's a lovely pup - I can understand not wanting to wait another second!

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I have two BC and one is 2 years old and one is 6 months. The good thing about having two is that they always have company and someone to play with. They also run around and play with each other while we are out on walks, so they get a lot of "extra" exercise. The only extra work I have with my dogs is when I train them separately. So I have started to only take the oldest dog with me out in the woods after work for 1,5 hours and then I take the puppy with me out and walk her and train her at the same time for about 30 minutes. She really enjoys the walks we have together without the other dog, lol!

 

I would wait at least a year before getting a second puppy. It's easier to just concentrate on one first because it is a lot of work.

 

Good luck!

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post-9183-1226009899_thumb.jpg

OH what a sweet puppy congrats and good luck

I would recommend 2 dogs Ive always had 2 together

they keep each other company when your busy or not home.

just wait at least 6 months to a year . :rolleyes:

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Ok, the puppies are now 6 weeks old. I asked my vet if that was too young and I was told "No, it's pretty common these days."

 

I'm going to disagree with your vet. It's too young.

 

I had looked into rescue but could not find a suitable dog. I really didn't want one one that came with a lot of problems, most were 3 plus years old.

 

I don't think I mentioned rescue at all, I simply inquired about your pup. But most rescue dogs don't come with "a lot of problems" - just for the record.

 

PS The father is a blue eyed!

 

That's nice, but I don't see any blue-eyed puppies in that photo. I see pups who are so young their eyes have not changed colour yet, and that's what I was referring to. You confirmed that above.

 

Have fun with your new pup. I think sticking to just the one is wise.

 

RDM

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6 weeks is not only too young, in many states it is illegal. Pups need the socialization that is provided by the litter for a few more weeks. Failure to provide that results in many dogs having aggressive and social relation issues with other dogs as adults.

 

Sometimes a puppy *has* to be seperated from the litter, or there is no litter to speak of (mom or other pups die or are very ill). In that case you do the best you can, but it's not ideal or easy.

 

2 pups the same age a very bad idea for 95% of owners.

 

Did you miss the thread "read this first" at the top of each forum?

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Cute pup! I have 2 right now and love it but they are 4 1/2 and 15 weeks. The older dog has really helped with the pup. It's been great to watch them interact. I used to be of the belief that 6 weeks was the best time to get a pup but now I am finding that the older pup has it's benefits.

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Welcome, Win. The picture of your puppy is adorable. I think that two BC puppies the same age would be rough -- maybe not now while they are cute and tiny, but when they both hit the "teenage" years . . . . :rolleyes:

 

A lot of folks on this Board have multiple dogs and my own two BCs are both the same age, but I didn't get them at the same time and so it wasn't a problem. When you do get ready to get a second BC, there actually are a lot of great rescues in the area with a very wide variety of dogs of all ages available. Rescue isn't right for everyone and you are the only one that can decide if that's the route you want to take, but I agree with Mr. Snappy -- it's a myth that rescue dogs all have "problems".

 

Good luck with your new puppy and be sure to post pictures.

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Congratulations on your pup. She really is pretty.

 

I don't agree with your vet either. 6 weeks is way too young to leave mom and sibs. Another 2 weeks is jam packed with life long lessons for this rapidly developing -- both physically and mentally -- pup. Your vet might be right if the pup were in dire circumstances, but 6 weeks is way too young.

 

I'm glad you at least looked into rescues, but I second what Mr. Snappy said -- many rescues don't come with "issues". Some people wouldn't go any other way other than a rescue.

 

Good idea to get just one pup at a time. One, but even better two years between pups works well.

 

Now, that being said, I'd love to see pictures as your pup grows.

 

Welcome. There is a ton of stuff for you to learn and if you stick around, learn you will! :rolleyes:

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What an adorable little girl! Be sure to post more pics when she is home. :rolleyes:

 

I would also agree with the vast majority of the other posting, 6 weeks is too young for a pup to leave their mom and siblings. I actually got my Daisy at 12 weeks old, which I have heard from a few trainers, is even better than 8 weeks because they have really had a chance to learn manners from other dogs and learn to interact with their siblings.

 

Now that Daisy is 8 months old, I am considering another BC sometime next year. I would definitely recommend one at a time. They are a handful!

 

Best of luck!

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Well, we're taking everyones advise and only getting one. Thanks. There's plenty of time to add one.

 

I didn't mean to imply rescue dogs are a problem. Just that the ones I looked into had traits that were not going to be easily corrected and we didn't want to chance it. With more experience I'm sure my thoughts will change.

 

I'll be calling the breeder today and will try to put off taking the pup for a week or two. Hope it doesn't become a problem. All your input is greatly appreciated.

 

Win

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Sounds like a good idea, Win. I hope the breeder will let the pup stay a couple more weeks. It's really in his best interest. I know the waiting must be hard, though! Also agree with not getting two puppies at one. If you still want a second, just wait until this pup is older. And just 'cause I have to say so, most rescues do not come with problems or baggage. If you want, you can certainly find a well suited rescue to add to your family once the little one is older. Good luck!

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Cute!! :rolleyes:

 

FWIW, I brought Mollie home at 6 weeks. Her mother had died in an accident with a piece of farming equipment shortly after delivering her litter; the pups had to be hand fed and sold earlier as a result. I was fortunate to have my older BC, Lady, in the house, but I do notice minor behavioural differences in Mollie (such as cleaning herself). She also has slight superficial etching on her corneas as a result of the extremely early weaning from Mom's milk to formula.

 

The longer your pup can stay with Mom, the better! Not only for behavioural reasons, but more importantly for her health. :D

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Very cute puppy. Good luck with her.

 

I agree with others that it would be best if you could wait until the pup is at least 8 weeks old. I also think that getting two young pups at the same time would be a recipe for disaster (or, at least the beginning of your nervous breakdown), especially since this will be your first bc puppy.

 

As far as rescue goes, honestly, you have a much greater chance of ending up with a dog with issues in getting this puppy, since puppies are a total crap shoot. If you take her at such a young age, your risk is even greater. But, puppies can be a lot of fun, too, so I totally understand their allure. I've fallen prey to it several times. Most of the time it has worked out well for me. But, my last puppy did end up as a dog with issues when he got older. Though I love him dearly, it does make my life a little more challenging than I would have liked it to be.

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We have an 8 yr male bc named Indy and we adopted a BC puppy (Abby) back in May. We have a lot experiences with dogs so I though were prepared for a puppy. We knew it was a lot of work but it ended up being double that amount of work we thought it would be. Your wife working at home will help tremendously but I can't see myself ever adopting two puppies at the same time. It would be way too much stress.. Abby is very active, ate everything insight and would often step in her own poop even if we were outside. She is a lot better now at 7 months.

 

One thing I would really encourage is socializing. We did a great job but we could've done more. A lot people say not take puppies out till they get their 3 set of shots but I think by the second set of shot you can start taking your puppy out (our Vet agrees). Socialization out weighs the risk of disease by that time. Just don’t take you pup to pet stores, dog parks and other common places for dogs. BC pups are so keen. They need to be exposed to everything. Abby went to puppy day care, puppy class and puppy play days so she was really good with other dogs and people. But we didn't expose her to kids. For about two months she would bark and growl at little kids. We hired a trainer and I 'd take her walks near the elementary school but she eventually grew out of it.

 

Oh yeah take lots pics, they grew up soo fast.

 

This what happend when we left her alone while doing the dishes.

 

2740897726_5734c37bf4_b.jpg

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We had such an easy puppyhood with Clover (taken home at 6 weeks but got deathly ill because she wasn't strong enough to handle the Coxcidia that she got- that said she was the easiest, most laid back puppy I'd ever seen) that I had the *wonderful* idea of getting a littermate that I fell in love with when we went to pick up our next puppy a year later. OMG. TOO cute for words and fun having two wiggly little puppies but SO much harder than one puppy... potty training was the hardest. Technically you're supposed to take them outside one at a time so that they learn not to play but to potty... especially when it's 2am and freezing cold outside... well... try doing that when you have two little tiny bladders (took these guys home at 7 weeks) that must. go. now. UGH.

 

I don't know if I'll do it again... was so much fun and so cute but soooooo hard. just when one puppy would settle down the other one would start raring to go. I got almost no sleep the first few weeks. Now, I'd have badgered DH to help except that I'd *promised* that I'd take care of them myself since I was the one who wanted two... :rolleyes:

 

I think it's your own choice but just know going in... really cute... but really hard.

 

Good luck and post LOTS of pictures!!!

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Congratulations! What a beautiful girl! I'm glad that you're waiting for a little longer to get her, there s a family near here with one of Shadow's sisters, they got her at 6 weeks (I don't know the story behind why, my breeder said nothing under 8 weeks, he prefers 10). Anyhow, their girl has some personality issues, she doesn't clean herself at all and smells REALLY bad. I got Shadow at 12 weeks and she is very clean andun-stinky. Our mutual vet believes that their problem is due to the age their girl was when they got her.

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This what happend when we left her alone while doing the dishes.

 

2740897726_5734c37bf4_b.jpg

 

Oh, that's nothing! Our Portie would have had that bed in shreds and the plastic bag into confetti! And all in under 30 seconds :rolleyes:

 

 

BTW - love the stenciling on the wood floors, very pretty.

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